Leicester will show Newcastle no mercy

Stuart Barnes says defeat in the reverse fixture for Leicester will spur them on against the struggling Falcons

Newcastle Falcons, one win from safety, expect no favours from Leicester today. The Tigers were beaten in the northeast last time, which makes a repeat half as likely. Leicester remember slights. They remain the meanest team in the Premiership, devouring the contact area, where Lewis Moody is a perpetual predator.

Age is stripping nothing from his edge but maturity is rounding him into a flanker with moments of creativity that complement his constant ferocity throughout matches. He is the very essence of all that is good about the Tigers and yet these are his final weeks as a Leicester player.

If Newcastle have to battle against him again, he will be wearing the colours of Leicester’s old rivals Bath. He captained England in Paris and should be retained for the trip to Australia and New Zealand but Leicester have loosened the leash and let the “mad dog” go. Magnificent as